Utopia - n. 1. A state or situation of perfection. 2. An ideal place or location, frequently imaginary. (Child viv, Utopia).
All About Utopia and the Author:
Although not distinctly known for his solo works of literature, Lincoln Child is a well accredited author. He graduated from Carleton College in Northfield Minnesota, and has been involved in writing over fifteen novels. One of his earliest novels, written with co-author Douglas Preston, Relic, has even been
Lincoln Child
transformed into a movie (See below for a sample trailer for Relic or click __http://www.prestonchild.com__ to visit the official site and learn more about Lincoln Child and co-writer Douglas Preston). Child has mainly been involved with Science-Fiction novels, most of which have been rather scary. This characteristic of horror definately shows when you read Utopia. The novel keeps you guessing and will always get you thinking about what could happen next.
In Utopia Lincoln Child provokes his audience to imagine a theme park that can provide the perfect experience powered by ultra-advanced holographic, and robotics. In the park, called Utopia, nearly all the work is done using high tech robots, and a large, and super powerful, robotics networking system called meta-net. When a few minor glitches occur in the self learning system, injuring a few and nearly killing one teenager, Andrew Warne, the creator of meta-net is called in to either fix or dismantle his project. Not only is this humiliating, as well as terrifying, due to the fact that it is Warne’s dream as a graduate of MIT to have a project of this caliber, it is also destroying his future as a robotics engineer since meta-net is the only respectable accreditation to Warne’s name. This is where one should find Child’s writing becomes rather intriguing. As several minor problems appear, robots malfunctioning, and others failing completely, the author throws multiple twists and turns into the plot. As the problems begin piling up into an endless knot of distress for the operators of the park, Child leaves both his readers, and characters completely in a state of confusion “…about what we’re dealing with…” (Child 116, Utopia). Little does this specialist know that soon, the park would be hijacked, and nearly seventy thousand of the daily visitors’ lives are at steak, including Warne’s only reminder of his deceased wife Charlotte, his daughter Georgia. As the sinister John Doe and his team have secretly planned for this event for years, the only chance any one of the given guests on this day will have to survive is in the hands of Andrew Warne. Doe’s plot seemed so perfect, like “He knew exactly what he wanted.” (Child 84, Utopia), he would leave thousands of thrill seekers sitting ducks in the amusement park, not knowing if something was built to be “…some special effect…” (Child 222, Utopia), or a deceptive death trap. As the owners of Utopia speculate on whether to call the police, or play it safe and heed Doe’s warning to not try anything rash. “How serious do you think this is?” (Child 85, Utopia) asks one of Sarah Barksdale’s top assistants questioning the insanity of the commandeered theme park’s captor. Lincoln then uses his talent to change the tempo of the novel from a puzzling mystery, into a race against the clock to save valued human life. Will the park, Georgia, or even meta-net survive, or will John Doe and his team be appropriately apprehended on their act of terrorism? Child keeps you guessing in his techno-thriller Utopia.'
Benteath this small paragraph there is a sample clip of The Relic which was based off of Lincoln Child, and Douglas Prestons' book titled Relic. I have decided to include this clip to give you an idea of what Child's goal is when writing books, scaring his audience. As seen in both Relic and Utopia, fear is Child's strongest writing style. By inducing fear into his readers, he can always keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat. You may also want to check out another sample clip to get a better idea about what Relic is actually about, (by clicking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHF3_a7csyQ&feature=related) but be warned, this clip is much more violent than the one posted on the wiki-page.
Below I have chosen to include a poll question on the topic of creating a utopia. I ask you "Would it be possible to even create such a place with no violence, anger, or unrest? If so, please include a short blurb about why you believe it could be possible, if not, please share with us why you believe it would be impossible to create such a place.
Would I recommend Utopia?
I believe I would personally recommend this novel to some, but not all, fiction readers. While in the middle of the story, I began to feel bored, and this is why one should believe this book was not placed on the “Outstanding Books for the College Bound” list. Child can become slightly wordy, and over-advanced while using some abstract vocabulary, so one definitely needs to have a controlled imagination while reading Utopia. These weakenesses are shown in the sentences, "There was a frantic, klaxonlike yipping from behind, and Warne turned to see Wingnut, moving alternately forward and backward across the carpet in jerky motions, his sensors panning wildly..." (Child, 79), or "Authorized systems personnel only beyond this point. Use of retinal and hand-geometry scanners required for access..."(Child, 261). By not having a wandering mind, I helped myself picture and remember most of the story. Overall, Child does a great job at keeping you guessing throughout the thriller, as seen in the following paragraph while Utopia is being hijacked, "...these are such good threats, Sarah. Do exactly as I say, when I say it. Don't try to stop me, or hamper me, or deceive me in any way. Or else..." (Child, 82), but his focus seems to get lost sometimes and the story turns into a pointless conversation, for what I found to be a little too often. Exemplified in the following paragraph, "..."I always wanted a sister," Georgia murmured. Terri's only response was to resume stroking her hair. "What was it my dad told us to do?" Georgia asked a few moments later. "To stay here. Watch each other, stand guard. Protect Sarah." Georgia pulled away. "Stand Guard?" The fear had come into her damp eyes so quickly that it could never have been far...," (Child, 358) writes Child nearing the end of the novel as two characters converse waiting for the return of Andrew Warne.
"Back to the real world...or as close as we get to it..." (Child, 21).
Works Cited:
Child, Lincoln. Utopia. qtd. in "Utopia." 2002. Doubleday.
Utopia
By: Lincoln Child
All About Utopia and the Author:
Although not distinctly known for his solo works of literature, Lincoln Child is a well accredited author. He graduated from Carleton College in Northfield Minnesota, and has been involved in writing over fifteen novels. One of his earliest novels, written with co-author Douglas Preston, Relic, has even been
In Utopia Lincoln Child provokes his audience to imagine a theme park that can provide the perfect experience powered by ultra-advanced holographic, and robotics. In the park, called Utopia, nearly all the work is done using high tech robots, and a large, and super powerful, robotics networking system called meta-net. When a few minor glitches occur in the self learning system, injuring a few and nearly killing one teenager, Andrew Warne, the creator of meta-net is called in to either fix or dismantle his project. Not only is this humiliating, as well as terrifying, due to the fact that it is Warne’s dream as a graduate of MIT to have a project of this caliber, it is also destroying his future as a robotics engineer since meta-net is the only respectable accreditation to Warne’s name. This is where one should find Child’s writing becomes rather intriguing. As several minor problems appear, robots malfunctioning, and others failing completely, the author throws multiple twists and turns into the plot. As the problems begin piling up into an endless knot of distress for the operators of the park, Child leaves both his readers, and characters completely in a state of confusion “…about what we’re dealing with…” (Child 116, Utopia). Little does this specialist know that soon, the park would be hijacked, and nearly seventy thousand of the daily visitors’ lives are at steak, including Warne’s only reminder of his deceased wife Charlotte, his daughter Georgia. As the sinister John Doe and his team have secretly planned for this event for years, the only chance any one of the given guests on this day will have to survive is in the hands of Andrew Warne. Doe’s plot seemed so perfect, like “He knew exactly what he wanted.” (Child 84, Utopia), he would leave thousands of thrill seekers sitting ducks in the amusement park, not knowing if something was built to be “…some special effect…” (Child 222, Utopia), or a deceptive death trap. As the owners of Utopia speculate on whether to call the police, or play it safe and heed Doe’s warning to not try anything rash. “How serious do you think this is?” (Child 85, Utopia) asks one of Sarah Barksdale’s top assistants questioning the insanity of the commandeered theme park’s captor. Lincoln then uses his talent to change the tempo of the novel from a puzzling mystery, into a race against the clock to save valued human life. Will the park, Georgia, or even meta-net survive, or will John Doe and his team be appropriately apprehended on their act of terrorism? Child keeps you guessing in his techno-thriller Utopia.'
Benteath this small paragraph there is a sample clip of The Relic which was based off of Lincoln Child, and Douglas Prestons' book titled Relic. I have decided to include this clip to give you an idea of what Child's goal is when writing books, scaring his audience. As seen in both Relic and Utopia, fear is Child's strongest writing style. By inducing fear into his readers, he can always keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat. You may also want to check out another sample clip to get a better idea about what Relic is actually about, (by clicking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHF3_a7csyQ&feature=related) but be warned, this clip is much more violent than the one posted on the wiki-page.
Below I have chosen to include a poll question on the topic of creating a utopia. I ask you "Would it be possible to even create such a place with no violence, anger, or unrest? If so, please include a short blurb about why you believe it could be possible, if not, please share with us why you believe it would be impossible to create such a place.
Would I recommend Utopia?
I believe I would personally recommend this novel to some, but not all, fiction readers. While in the middle of the story, I began to feel bored, and this is why one should believe this book was not placed on the “Outstanding Books for the College Bound” list. Child can become slightly wordy, and over-advanced while using some abstract vocabulary, so one definitely needs to have a controlled imagination while reading Utopia. These weakenesses are shown in the sentences, "There was a frantic, klaxonlike yipping from behind, and Warne turned to see Wingnut, moving alternately forward and backward across the carpet in jerky motions, his sensors panning wildly..." (Child, 79), or "Authorized systems personnel only beyond this point. Use of retinal and hand-geometry scanners required for access..."(Child, 261). By not having a wandering mind, I helped myself picture and remember most of the story. Overall, Child does a great job at keeping you guessing throughout the thriller, as seen in the following paragraph while Utopia is being hijacked, "...these are such good threats, Sarah. Do exactly as I say, when I say it. Don't try to stop me, or hamper me, or deceive me in any way. Or else..." (Child, 82), but his focus seems to get lost sometimes and the story turns into a pointless conversation, for what I found to be a little too often. Exemplified in the following paragraph, "..."I always wanted a sister," Georgia murmured. Terri's only response was to resume stroking her hair. "What was it my dad told us to do?" Georgia asked a few moments later. "To stay here. Watch each other, stand guard. Protect Sarah." Georgia pulled away. "Stand Guard?" The fear had come into her damp eyes so quickly that it could never have been far...," (Child, 358) writes Child nearing the end of the novel as two characters converse waiting for the return of Andrew Warne.
Works Cited:
Child, Lincoln. Utopia. qtd. in "Utopia." 2002. Doubleday.
"Official Website: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child." 2007. <http://www.prestonchild.com/> 07 Jan. 2008.
Orr, John. "Triviania." Aug. 2004. <www.triviana.com/ books/child.jpg> 07 Jan. 2008.
"The Relic Trailer." 28 July 2007. youtube.com. 13 Jan. 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd963NZw_zQ&feature=related.